


Jurassic Stark

by JonesyGray



Category: Jurassic Park Series - Michael Crichton, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Crossover, Fix-It, Gen, Jurassic Park doesn't exist, Precious Peter Parker, Seriously guys, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, a ton of extras die, basically red shirts though, people are eaten by dinosaurs, tony stark is John Hammond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-05 19:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18835384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JonesyGray/pseuds/JonesyGray
Summary: Tony survives The Restoration Snap, and turns his attention to living- really living. And he does. His life is better than ever, and he's present and delighted for every moment.Two years into his new lease on life, Peter mentions how excited he is about a new discovery- viable dinosaur DNA in a mosquito encased in amber- and Tony's incredible mind begins to whir.Could he and Bruce really recreate dinosaurs? Living, breathing real dinosaurs?... One way to find out.





	1. After the Restoration

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of important notes before you begin this.
> 
> 1) Jurassic Park is not a "thing" in this iteration. No books, no movies.  
> 2) Yep, Tony lives. And yep, he's committed to putting superheroing behind him. But he's still Tony.

Tony Stark didn’t deserve to die.

Stephen had known this from the very first time he met him. Yes, he was obnoxious. Arrogant. Even off-putting, when at his worst. But underneath all that is the man that can- will- save them all. A frail human can’t handle the power of _one_ Infinity Stone bare-handed, let alone _all_ of them. Surely, his body and brain would collapse under the strain of wielding them. It was necessary.

Wasn’t it?

 _No_ . Stephen jerks, startled by the conviction of his own thoughts. Another sorcerer takes over damage control with the water from him and he stalks across the battlefield, just in time to here Tony’s pained, but determined, “And I… Am… _Iron Man_ .” and he _feels_ the incredible power behind that Snap. Rushing forward, he lowers the man- his body smoking from the use of the Stones- back to rest against some debris. As Tony’s loved ones begin to crowd in, Stephen opens the Eye of Agamotto and coaxes the Time Stone back into the Eye. Then he begins turning back time on Tony.

It’s a blur after that- The use of the Stone wipes him out harder than even The Bargaining with Dormammu. He’s told he manages to undo most of the severe damage to Tony’s internal organs and the most superficial burning on his face and down his side, but the arm is too damaged and still pulsing with the power of the other Stones when he began his work. Bucky, pragmatically, chopped off the arm at the shoulder, and Wong got everyone surrounding the downed-but-not-out billionaire through a portal to Wakanda, where surgery was performed on Tony and Stephen was given a bed to recover in.

Both he and Tony are unconscious for four days following The Final Snap. By the time they both wake, Stephen is dying for a glass of water and a sandwich, and Tony has a prosthetic arm hand-made by the newly-restored princess. Pepper Stark- Potts? Did they finally wed after the Decimation?- visits him in a quiet moment while Tony is resting.

“Thank you.” The words have the quiet power only women like Pepper seem capable of; a woman who has sharpened her tongue into a brutal weapon, but equally knows how to lay down the weapon and rely on kindness and humanity in its stead. Stephen acknowledges her thanks with a nod. He almost says ‘it’s nothing,’ but he has a visceral reaction to the memory of the exhaustion he’s not completely over.

“You’re welcome, Miss Potts.” Her smile is warm where it would normally be wintry, and she leaves him to rest. She’s not, he’s surprised to find, the only one to come and thank him. Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner. Colonel James Rhodes. But far and away the most emotional is young Peter Parker. “Spider-Man” enters his room, eyes rimmed in red and face pale. Stephen is standing, stretching out after so many days supine. He’s surprised and not altogether pleased when a short moment later the little arachnid-themed hero is wrapped around his chest. He softens his initial reaction when he feels the sobs wracking the lithe form.

“Thank you for g-getting him back. I… I don’t know what I-I’d do without him.” Stephen, with supreme awkwardness, lightly brushes a hand through the mass of brown waves and curls tickling under his nose.

“Young man- Peter. You would have survived and thrived without him. But,” he presses on past the shocked, slightly scandalized face looking up at him, “I’m glad you don’t have to. The world needs Tony Stark. And so, it appears, do you.” A moment passed with the teen’s head pressed against Stephen’s sternum, before the doctor cleared his throat. “Not that this isn’t touching, truly, but can you please let go?” The teen jumps back as if burned, his face flaming in a blush.  
  
“S-Sorry, Mister- Doctor! Doctor Strange sir. I didn’t mean to stay in your bubble.” With a small squeak that may have been the beginning of another sentence that was quickly aborted, the teen turned and fled from the room and his embarrassment. The doctor, meanwhile, just chuckled to himself and marveled on just how lucky Tony Stark really is.

  


\---AES---

 

 

Two years have passed since The Restoration. The Guardians of the Galaxy have gone on Guarding, the Avengers avenging.

Except Tony Stark. Tony has spent the last two years doing nothing but living. He helps Morgan, his better traits in an adorable package, learn to read and write. She has a knack for science already. He fields frantic homework questions from Peter- and the occasional particularly sweet anecdote from patrols. He and Pepper have made a nightly glass of wine or warm drink and discuss the day’s little discoveries and discouragements a beloved tradition. May Parker has become one of his best friends, with near-daily phone calls, weekly dinners, and joint holidays where he's steadily able to spoil his favorite Parkers a little more each passing day. He's moved in Bruce, and the Science Bros have never been stronger, tinkering and inventing and delighting in new and exciting discoveries together.

It was, Tony had to think at times, all he’d ever wanted. Some days he woke up expecting this to all be the final fever dream of a dying man. Those thoughts never lasted long though, kissed away by the morning sun and the delightful lips of his delightful wife.

It was over the Thursday night dinner with May and Peter that the idea came to him. In a not-unusual turn of events, it was Peter himself that was used to spark Serendipity. He was bouncing excitedly in his seat, talking about an article he had read in _Paleobiology_ about a mosquito encased in amber.

“... and they determined the DNA from the blood the mosquito had ingested is still viable! Real dinosaur DNA! Isn’t that incredible Mister Stark?”

“Riveting, kid. Hey, do you think if a radioactive T-Rex bit you, you’d inherit all those teeth?”

Peter rolled his eyes, looking over at Bruce, presumably for backup. “Doctor Banner, _you_ obviously understand what an _incredible_ finding this is. It shouldn’t _require_ seven PhD’s to get it, but maybe age is addling Mister Stark’s brain…” Bruce laughs, then wags a large green finger at Peter in admonishment.

“Watch yourself Peter, I’m just a few months younger than Tony there.”

Tony snarked at them both for the rest of dinner, miming an ear horn and playing up every “old man” trope he could. He was doing his best to be in the moment, having vowed to never take another of those moments for granted again.

But in the back of his mind, the seed of an idea was beginning to take root.  


 

\---AES---

 

 

Tony was working late. After two years of regular sleep schedules, it was wearing on him more than it should. But he just… wanted to know if it would work. If it even _could_ work. It wasn’t the same desperation and grief that drove the desire to figure out time travel. This drive felt more pure, more like the genuine wonder that had driven him in the early days.

“Boss? The results are complete.” Tony blinked up from where he’d been wool-gathering. He nodded after a moment.

“FRIDAY, verdict?”

“It’s possible Boss. 93% chance of success under the prescribed experiment variables.”  
  
A stunned silence follows FRIDAY’s words for nearly a full minute. “Did… Did you say 93% chance of success?”

“Yes, Boss.”

He sat back a little harder than he meant to. A hand ran through his hair absently. Then he breathed out, barely above a whisper.

“We’re gonna build a dinosaur.”

  


\---AES---

 

 

When Tony brought the idea to him, his response was immediate and firm.

“No.”

“But Bruce-”

“No. Tony, do you even know what you’re asking?”

The Stark man runs a hand through his hair, blowing out a heavy sigh and looking tiredly at Bruce. “Brucie, I’m really… REALLY done with the superhero business. Rhodey has Iron Man covered and I just want to rest.” He sits down heavily in the swivel chair behind him, staring up at the ceiling. “Y’know, do something fun. Bring whimsy back to a world that lost so much.” His voice gets quiet and sad, heavy with misplaced guilt. Still, Bruce _needs_ to make his point abundantly clear.  
  
“Tony, you’re talking about bringing back DINOSAURS. Living animals that haven’t been living for millions of years!” At this, Tony looks at him with that calculating gleam that Bruce considers the scariest gaze to see on his friend's face.

“We’ve always been mad scientists, Jolly Green. Instead of a murder bot that’s trying to kill the planet-” They both take a moment to grimace, the wound of Ultron’s failure still a sore so long after. “-help me create something that kids everywhere can love. Not protection, just… Enjoyment. Fun.” Bruce narrows his eyes, looking for hidden motives. Stark senses this, and assures him quickly, “No politics, no pressure. No “fate of the world” mumbo-jumbo. Just three science bros, creating dinosaurs.” Bruce stares him down for almost an entire minute before giving a frustrated sigh and throwing up his hands as Tony blinks away the tears from _not_ blinking for 49 seconds.

“... I’m only saying yes because it’ll never work.”

“That’s still a yes!” Tony gleefully shouts, spinning to the closest monitor to bring up his preliminary findings. Bruce pauses, brow furrowing.

“... Wait. Three?”

“Peter loves bio-engineering and _you_ , big guy. I couldn’t keep him from it if I tried.” Another grimace, this one equal parts frustration and the indulgent, almost desperate love of father with a far too intelligent and precocious child.

 

  
“... And I tried.”  



	2. Sciencing the Shit Out of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is tired. Tony is determined. Peter is excitable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I was mistaken about when I'd introduce some of the key players. Enjoy!

The first few months of what Peter had immediately and joyfully proclaimed to be “the coolest thing EVER oh my gosh Mister Stark!”- in addition to over an hour of gushing peppered with what felt like thousands of questions- was slow, plodding work. Mostly consulting with Bruce on where he and Peter should be focusing their studies in preparation for building a dinosaur. 

Peter, especially, was extremely excited and could often be found pacing- including once  _ across the ceiling _ “Holy  _ shit _ kid, get down  _ now!” _ \- while asking a million questions and taking fairly obsessive notes in a journal covered in dinosaur stickers Tony  _ still _ isn’t sure the origin of. 

For his part, Tony was just as bad in his own way. Bruce only caught on to being, as he called it, “Pavloved” with the strategic use of homemade cookies and his favorite decaf coffee every time Tony decided to pick his brain on how, exactly, they would create the recombinant DNA for a “compsogthanus” (“Mister Stark, for the bajillionth time, it’s  _ compsognathus _ -” “Compy, got it kid. Nailed it.”) or create a proper protein chain for artificial egg shells and nurturing environments for the eggs because he heard Tony begging Steve to make more cookies at the absurd hour of 2:23am on a Thursday. When he asked Tony why he couldn’t just teach himself in  _ this _ field like the last time he decided to step into one of Bruce’s specialties, the answer was quintessential Tony: equal parts flippant, snarky, and insightful. “Brucie-bear, astrophysics is easier. When you add in life, things get freaky. Just look at Peter.” 

That Peter’s indignant “Hey!” gave away his newest study corner in an honest-to-God  _ web _ like an  _ actual spider _ was just nightmare fuel for the older men working on the project. 

Bruce, to his credit, was endlessly tolerant of both of their demands for more resources. And by that, it means at 3:47am on the Tuesday of the fourth week in a row, he snaps at both of them to start taking actual classes. “It’s 2025 guys! Online classes on this stuff exist! Pete, you’re  _ already in college _ . Just take a few extra classes in the next couple of years!” 

Bruce groans and throws his hands up as they both just blink owlishly at him.

  
  


\---AES---

  
  


17 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days after that late night conversation, Peter Benjamin Parker earns Bachelor’s degrees in both Biological Engineering and the newly-established field of Medical Nanotechnology. His father figure, never to be outdone, ends up joining him on the stage with a Master’s in Biological Engineering. They high five and giggle too hard in half the pictures for them to be usable, but Bruce and Rhodey conspire to and succeed in capturing a few tender moments between the pair- candids of Tony hugging Peter much like he did the day of The Restoration, their heads together as they laugh over an inside joke, a picture of Peter looking at his mentor as if he hung every star in the sky, and of course a posed recreation of the now-infamous Stark Internship Award picture Pepper  _ insisted _ go on the SI instagram account. Tony is wearing his, as deemed by a delighted Morgan, “Show-Off Arm.” 

The piece of nanotech can often take the appearance of a normal arm, and that’s the default setting Tony uses on the rare occasions he makes a public appearance nowadays. But for this occasion, it’s gold and hot-rod red in homage to the very circumstances under which he met his son in all but blood. May bats her eyelashes at him teasingly after the graduation ceremony and tells him he makes a very dashing part-Iron Man. He rolls his eyes but quietly preens under the attention from someone he’s come to love almost as much as Peter. For his part, the barely-not-a-teen-arachnid manages to catch a picture of both of his “parents” grinning like the closest of friends over an old joke. He frames it in his corner of the dino-lab.

At the graduation dinner, Tony stands and lightly taps his knife against his glass and gets the attention of their party- not that it was needed, really, but Tony isn’t Tony without gratuitous dramatics. He grins around at his closest friends and family, marvelling for a moment at this time that he almost lost in The Restoration. Then, he begins to speak.

“I started the journey to here in a cave in Afghanistan. I was weak, and sick, and injured. I survived then because of a man who made the ultimate sacrifice to free me. Since then, I’ve been doing everything in my power to live up to his memory- to right the many wrongs I committed in my life. 

“Who I was died in that cave with his sacrifice. Who emerged was the one who created Iron Man- who wanted to live for more than just himself. He’s the one who decided to join the Avengers when Loki came knocking in New York. He’s the one who sent a nuke into space to save the city. He’s also the one who made one of the best decisions of my life- to become a superhero.

“As you all know, I am a proud man. I’m proud of my accomplishments, but more importantly, I’m proud of my  _ family. _ Of Pepper, who has always been the grown-up I’m terrible at being. Of Morgan, the little supernova that she is” He pauses here and blows her a kiss, causing her to giggle. “And, of course, of Peter.” Peter suddenly looks up at Tony, his ears and neck stained red with a blush. Tony quirks an eyebrow at him, continuing on, “Yes Pete, you too. You’re my kid, in all but blood. I love you.” With that, Tony picks up two envelopes from under the table, handing one to Peter first.

“And with that, I wanted to give this to you first. Peter, I’m so proud of you. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, and with what you’ve accomplished since…” He swallows, ruthlessly pretending that he’s  _ not _ about to cry. “Since you lost five years of your life to my actions, I want to give you every advantage in life. In that folder are papers to adopt you. I know,” He holds up a hand, cutting off what Peter’s about to say. “You’re an adult. I understand that- I still want to make it official that you’re  _ my _ kid. I’ve already talked this over with the important ladies in our life, and they agree.” Pepper, May, and Morgan all crowd in, too impatient to wait through the rest of the speech and nearly smother the 20-year-old new graduate in hugs and kisses. 

And if his face is a little wet with tears, well, May wipes those away for him before too many pictures can be taken.

Tony waits patiently- kind of- for the women to stop fussing before giving Peter a hug as well, where he quietly says in his new son’s ear, “You’re the best of us Peter. Never forget that.” Then he straightens, putting his  _ Tony Stark, Showman  _ face back on. “Now that the emotional part is over and we can officially say we’ve seen Captain America blubber,” Steve glares at Tony good-naturedly even as he continues to try to subtly wipe his eyes. “I want to give you your other gift.” 

Peter looks sharply at Tony, waving his hands in what appears to be panic. “M-Mister Stark, you can’t possibly- I-I mean, I don’t need anything else-”

“You’re absolutely wrong on  _ both _ counts. Really, I’m impressed by that level of wrongness Underoos. I  _ can _ possibly, and I will. And you definitely need at least  _ proper _ dress shoes,” The billionaire glances pointedly at the beat up Converse Peter wore with his graduation suit, before barrelling on past Peter’s spluttering. “But thankfully, that’s not what this next gift is.”

He plops the next envelope in Peter’s lap, making a little shooing motion to encourage Peter to open it. Amidst the scientific and legal jargon, Peter realizes very suddenly what this actually  _ is. _

“M-Mister Stark, you got the dinosaur DNA!”

“Sure did Pete. Seemed as good a time as any to start putting theory into practice. Congrats kidling, by the end of next year you’ll have the first dinosaur seen on earth in millions of years.”

“You know Tones, crocodiles are technically dinosau-”

“Rhodey quit trying to ruin my moment!”

 

The rest of the night passes in a golden blur of happiness for Peter. But one thing reverberates through his brain. 

 

_ Dinosaurs. We’re going to build dinosaurs. _

  
  
  


\---AES---

  
  
  


Doctor Alan Grant squints up at the sky, wiping sweat from his brow as he determines whether or not it’s too early to get a beer. Deciding 3:00pm is, in fact, beer o’clock, he stands from his current crouch and groans in satisfaction when his knees and lower back pop after hours of strain. Carefully, he covers the nest site he’s been carefully brushing dust and dirt from for the last three days with a weighted tarp, making a steady pace downhill to the trailer that’s one part home, two parts office during the dig season. Ellie is waiting next to the trailer, a knowing grin sparkling in her eyes when she sees him making his way down. She calls once he’s in earshot, “Beer o’clock for you too?” 

He gives a nod and raises an eyebrow at her. “Were you waiting for me?”

“We’ve got a visitor. He insisted on not bothering you before you were done.”

Alan blinks. Who the hell would visit a pretty obscure dig in the middle of summer in the Badlands? “Who is it El?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  
  


She was right. He wouldn’t have believed her if she’d told him  _ Tony Stark _ was sitting in his trailer, sipping a bottle of water and reading over what appeared to be his last grant request. The billionaire-  _ holy shit there’s a  _ **_billionaire_ ** _ at their dig- _ looks up as he enters, bounding to his feet with the energy of a man half his age and crossing the room to shake Alan’s hand enthusiastically. Everything about the man seems like he has lightning coursing just under his skin. Thinking back to how this man saved the world by force of will with some magic from outer space, maybe he does. He shakes himself from his reverie as the lively chocolate eyes meet his and the man begins talking about a mile a minute.

“Doctor Grant, I couldn’t be happier to finally get out here to visit your site. I’ve most recently read your paper on velociraptor nesting habits and I have to say it was my favorite thus far. My son is particularly fond of your work on Maiasaura migratory drift, but he also really wanted to get out to see this dig- but I’m getting off topic. I’m here to make a proposal for you and Doctor Sattler.”

Alan’s head hasn’t quite stopped spinning from the fact that a billionaire tech mogul and  _ literal superhero _ is not only interested in his work, but has apparently read everything he’s written in the last ten years. He blinks once, twice, then asks bluntly, “Why are you here Mister Stark?”

The flash of a genuinely friendly grin and a bark of laughter take him aback. He never expected a man like Tony Stark to seem so human. The man wanders around the table where they have a model of the dig site, looking down at it like it may hold the secrets of the universe. When he looks back up, Alan recognizes the look in the man’s eyes- determination, discovery. Trying to make the impossible possible. Tony Stark holds his eye for an almost uncomfortable amount of time. Then he says the craziest thing Alan has ever heard. 

“Doctor Grant, I want to build a dinosaur. And I need your help.”

  
  
  


\---AES---

  
  
  


After that first meeting where Alan may or may not have called possibly a man with more money than God completely insane no less than five times, he and Ellie were now standing in a remote cabin-themed mansion’s basement, reviewing data accumulated for nearly three years about building a dinosaur from the DNA up. Alongside Tony Stark was the honest-to-God  _ Hulk _ \- in full possession of his intelligence and discernment as Doctor Bruce Banner- and Tony’s adoptive son, the young but extremely impressive young man who introduced himself much like an excitable retriever. He had shaken both Alan and Ellie’s hands like he couldn’t quite control the nervous energy bubbling under his skin- is Stark  _ quite sure  _ this kid isn’t his biologically?- and babbling out an aggressively friendly greeting. 

“Doctor Grant, Doctor Sattler, ohmygosh it’s so good to finally meet you both! Mister Stark- I-I mean, Dad- told me all about your dig and I was so jealous he got a tour of the site! I’d love to come out and see it sometime if that’s okay-” 

“Kid, breathe.” Tony prompted the younger man, who nodded and, with a spark of mischief in his eyes, took an exaggerated breath before grinning at the two of them. 

“I’m Peter, by the way. Sorry about that- I just love dinosaurs and you guys are like, some of the most renowned names in your field.” His self-deprecating grin evidently melts Ellie’s heart and she gives him a warm smile in return. 

“It’s really nice to meet you, Peter. When your dad told us about his idea we were blown away. To be frank, we didn’t think it was possible at all. But all this,” she gestures to the mountains of data displayed on the screens surrounding them. “This is incredible. Tony mentioned you, in particular, were interested in recreating some of the flora that would have been essential to the diet of large herbivores of the time?” With an enthusiastic nod, Peter leads her off to his corner of the lab, gabbling about analysing fossils and some of the drawbacks of attempting to encourage growth with modern soil composition. Alan focuses on the massive, grey-green man to his left. 

“So,” he begins, finally catching a small taste of the excitement permeating the room. 

“Where do we start?”

  
  


\---AES---

  
  
  


Alan is surprised when Doctor Banner leads him to a white board where every concern he’d laid out to Tony in that initial meeting is written out in neat script, with an asterisk next to a number of them. Bruce turns to him, meeting his eyes with a serious gaze. 

“Doctor Grant, these were the major questions you asked when Tony first spoke to you. The ones with asterisks are the ones we need your expertise to even begin to understand in the context of the animals’ needs. The others we’d like you to consult our current solutions and improve upon them.” When Alan nods, Bruce leads him to a smaller room behind the whiteboard area. Inside that room stands a Utahraptor.

Well, it  _ looks _ like a Utahraptor. There’s something about the eyes that feels… dead. Like there’s nothing going on inside its brain. Bruce answers the question before he asks it. “This is a prototype of a robotic Utahraptor. We’re hoping to integrate several robotic companions into the herds to assist with control methods. They’re equipped with a rudimentary AI that allows them to learn within a social setting and prevents them from harming people. Watch,” with that, Bruce gestures at the raptor standing too-still in the center of the room and it seems to wake up, shaking its head and focusing on Bruce. Then it turns its artificial gaze to the smaller man, and he feels a shiver a trepidation while being observed by a predator 75 million years in the making. When it moves though, the illusion is broken. The movement is… wrong. Too clunky, too heavy for a creature that was reliant on speed and agility to take down prey. Alan notes this in the back of his brain, but the most pressing concern is the one that makes its way out of his mouth first. 

“Why are you building  _ raptors _ ?”

  
  


\---AES---

  
  
  


Dinner that night is tense, despite Peter’s best efforts to keep the conversation cheerful and light. Pepper and Morgan weren’t there to assist, in the city for a long weekend to “let the boys science unimpeded,” thanks Pepper. Alan is still baffled why these otherwise-intelligent men would want to reintroduce a collection of hyper-intelligent predators to the ecological landscape. Ellie shares his concerns when he tells her about it. 

“It just seems irresponsible-”

“That’s because it is irresponsible! Raptors are pack hunters and if the Utahraptor you showed me a model of is any indication, you’ll be recreating ones with the capability of easily taking out  _ humans _ \- not that velociraptors would have any problem with that, but they’re the size of  _ turkeys _ . Big difference between one you could punt over a back fence if you needed to and one over a meter tall and nearly five meters long!” Alan is breathing hard by the end of his very-reasonable tirade and Ellie is nodding along, but picks up like he didn’t even speak.

“Tony, Peter, Bruce- we understand that you’re excited, but these animals will need very strict containment procedures to not be dangerous to themselves or others. We aren’t just thinking of  _ our  _ safety, but of the welfare of the animals once they’re brought back. Will they be content in captivity? Will their natural prey drive be kept sated enough to not act out? Is such a thing possible? We’ve literally never seen them in the flesh before, and just as importantly,  _ they’ve never seen us _ . Are they going to consider us prey? Alan is the resident expert and he seems to think so- we need to make sure they, and we, are safe moving forward.”

Tony, to his credit, doesn’t speak immediately. Instead he takes the time to think over what Ellie and Alan had to say, and Peter and Bruce follow his lead. Finally, after several minutes where the only noise is silverware clinking against plates, Tony nods and clears his throat.

“Alan, Ellie- first of all, this is exactly why we brought you in. I’m a mechanic. Peter is a grad student. Bruce is an everything. But none of us are experts on  _ these animals _ . I want to first thank you for being so honest with us before I address the problems.” He takes a sip of his water, eyeing the scientists over the top of his glasses and Alan abruptly has the same feeling as staring down the mechanical Utahraptor- trepidation and the awareness that no matter how kind this man has been so far, he is still an extremely dangerous person. Brought back to the present by the soft clink of Tony’s glass hitting the table, he listens as the genius continues speaking.

“First, on the subject of large raptors- well, we want to create as balanced an ecosystem as possible. Nature is dangerous, and frankly, terrifying sometimes. We’ll be carefully controlling the population of the dinosaurs by creating all of them as female and introducing the mechanical counterparts- that way there are never more than can be sustained in an appropriate ecosystem and keep the organic ones from overextending their territories. Peter actually had the idea to not allow them to breed by themselves- to avoid any population booms.” Peter’s ears go a bit pink, and he stares down at his chicken with an embarrassed but pleased smile. Tony shakes his head at his kid’s antics and continues. 

“Next, well, I have some ideas about creating a biological preserve well away from human inhabitants. Just waiting for the paperwork to come through on a few prospects- something else I’d like your input on, by the way. Especially you, Doctor Sattler.” He nods at her and she nods back, taken aback by the abrupt shift in topic. Before he can wander too far into that line of thought, Tony shakes his head as if to refocus and continues. 

“The thought of their welfare was admittedly one I hadn’t spent a lot of time on, I’m ashamed to say. To that end, I want to offer a solution- once we have the details of the location ironed out, we’ll all work together to determine exact population density and composition. Is that agreeable to the both of you?”

Alan and Ellie lock eyes, having a silent conversation in the way only longtime partners can. Eventually, Doctor Sattler nods. “Yes, I think that works best for us.”

Neither of them notice Doctor Banner’s frown. Tony does, and notes to talk to Bruce later about what’s eating him. Peter, for his part, looks elated- the raptors were his idea, after all. 

  
  
  


\---AES---

  
  
  


Tony glares at the email in front of him as if it had reached through the screen and slapped him. Bruce raises an eyebrow at seeing such an affronted look and drily asks, “What, did Pepper finally decide she misses the city enough to stay?” The mechanic blinks up at his friend, not having realized he was there. 

“What? Oh, no, she and Morgan are coming back tonight…. No, this research facility is giving me the dodge again.  _ Dr. James Freeman _ just isn’t interested in collaborating at this time… Something’s fishy about this Bruce. Not that some sketchy ass name like “ _ the GeneX facility” _ isn’t fishy enough, but what I asked for should, at this point, be publicized research. They’re a laboratory facility studying gene mutation, for god’s sake. That’s practically commonplace nowadays.” Tony bites his lip, and Bruce is startled to see he actually looks worried. When they lock eyes, Bruce suddenly remembers something rather important. 

“Tony, that one mercenary… the crazy guy that runs around in red spandex that blew up a research facility about ten years ago and went on a killing spree… wasn’t the place he blew up a  _ WeaponX _ facility? Could it be the same group?” Tony snorts, but nods.

“Possible. I’d like to believe two major companies wouldn’t have the same terrible taste in nomenclature. I’ll ask Steve to check it out.” The tech mogul then pierces Bruce with a hard stare. 

“So, Brucie-bear, love of my life…”

“Don’t let Pepper hear you say that.”

“... Favorite science bro?”

“Peter is your favorite science bro.”

“Peter is my favorite snarky science child. You’re my favorite mad scientist to blow things up with.”

Bruce sighs, then after a moment of letting the silence stretch, sighs again and says bluntly, “I don’t think Alan and Ellie’s input is enough to ensure the safety of the preserve.”

Tony blinks, then nods. “I agree. They’re good, but we need a few more people. Maybe someone who studies natural system evolution now, and several security experts before we break ground?”

Bruce nods as well, sitting heavily in a chair. “Yeah, there’s this one guy down in El Paso… Calls himself a  _ chaostician _ but he’s probably one of the greatest minds in academia as far as natural system degeneration. He developed chaos theory from its grassroots. He’s considered almost impossible to work with.”

“Let’s do it.” Tony turns back to the monitor, clearly considering the conversation over. Bruce blinks dumbly for just a moment.

“Tony, do you know who I’m talking about?”

“Nope. But if you trust his work and you think he’ll be able to help, then we’ll do it.” Tony swings back around for just a moment to look Bruce in the eye, gaze intense.

“I trust you with my life. I definitely trust you on personnel decisions for the preserve. Do what you need to do.”

Conversation over, Bruce and Tony both begin composing emails. Tony, to Steve on the possibility of the team investigating  _ GeneX. _

 

Bruce, to Doctor Ian Malcolm, currently guest lecturing at University of Texas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for Ian Malcolm? Yeah, me either. See you next time!

**Author's Note:**

> So this plot bunny bit me directly on the ass at 3pm and didn't let me go until 3am. Hoping to get out a chapter a week if I can.


End file.
